Tested: Wired launches itself into the world of paper planes

This article was taken from the January 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content bysubscribing online.

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From the humble dart to the electrically enhanced nakamura lock, Wired launches itself into the world of paper planes.

How we tested

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How to achieve paper-plane glory

ByKathryn Nave

We enlisted the help of Andy Currey to give the latest paper-plane apps, books and accessories a test flight at the cavernous O2 in east London. Currey, a one-time world record holder (20.9 seconds flight-time) and reigning British distance record holder (31.69m), built and tested the planes using the materials provided or standard 80gsm copier paper.

Adding power to your paper aeroplane to prolong flight-time is technically cheating, but this ultra-light carbon-fibre rod, battery and propeller supercharges most glider or dart designs (we used the supplied Nakamura Lock). The results, according to Andy Currey - maker of British record-holding paper planes - were disappointing. "The idea is brilliant," he says, "but it is just too nose-heavy." Experimenting with alternative designs may help, but for this test, at least, it "literally bombed".

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Paper Airplanes by Firefly This Android app has a selection of plane designs to try, following either step-by-step graphics or YouTube videos.

Additional plane-folds are nice and cheap to download, but its is a bit awkward compared to its iOS rival. Currey felt "the app is great for basic designs".

Wired: Good starting point; YouTube videos

Tired: Clunky layout; occasionally confusing fold symbols

Cost: £Free Google Play (extra designs £0.56 per pack of four)

Specifications

Designs: 11 free, 15 locked

Videos: 20+

The Best Advanced Paper Aircraft Book by Carmel D Morris

If you're bored of the basic dart and want a challenge, there's a lot to enjoy here. Using clear language and drawings, the instructions are easy to follow, although Currey thought that "understanding the 2D drawings and converting to 3D was difficult".

Great for banishing office boredom, each page of this lined notepad comes with folding instructions to turn your meeting minutes into missiles. There are five designs on the pad, but the inside-out folding is "a faff; you fold once and it is hard to see the lines for the next step". The "Glider" was more of a dart.

Disappointing.

Wired: Fun recycling; boredom alleviator

Tired: Unreadable instructions

Score: 5/10

Cost: £5

Specifications

Designs: Five

Pages: 100

High-Performance Paper Airplanes by Andrew Dewar

These card planes require a model-maker's steady hand and plenty of glue. Once you've got the hang of it (it took us three planes) you'll love this. Currey was impressed with his build: "It may not bea traditional plane, but it flew across the O2 without even using the launcher."

Wired: Long flights

Tired: Tricky to build

Score: 8/10

Cost: £16 amazon.co.uk

Specifications

Designs: Ten

Accessories: Catapult

Equipment: Scissors, craft knife, craft glue, toothpick, ruler

How to make Paper Airplanes

Big, bright and beautifully executed, the stop-motion style animation in this iOS app is simple and clear. Currey liked how "the layout worked on the iPad and took the work out of understanding difficult folds". Shame the "Super Plane 2" dart didn't live up to its billing...

Wired: Great visuals; clear instructions

Tired: Buggy app; flights are variable

Cost: £Free iTunes (21 extra planes for £1.49)

Specifications

Designs: Four free, 21 more for £1.49

Equipment: Paper, iOS device

Star Wars Folded Flyers

Featuring fantastic graphics and folding tips from Yoda, vehicles such as the X-Wing make for fun, involving builds. These planes take an age to construct, but the instructions are clear and the finished designs look exceptional. Sadly though, not even The Force can help these mynocks take flight. "The Millennium Falcon just wouldn't fly," says a heartbroken Currey.